The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection which resulted in engine stoppage due to water contamination in the fuel system. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
— NTSB Determination
After takeoff from a canal in a float plane, while cruising about 500 feet above a swamp, the engine quit. The airplane was force landed in the swamp. Following the accident, the pilot examined the engine and found water in the gascolator and the fuel line between the gascolator and the carburetor. He also reported that the airplane was equipped with long range fuel tanks that had flush fitting fuel filler caps. Previously, he had had problems with water in the fuel.
After takeoff from a canal in a float plane, while cruising about 500 feet above a swamp, the engine quit. The airplane was force landed in the swamp. Following the accident, the pilot examined the engine and found water in the gascolator and the fuel line between the gascolator and the carburetor. He also reported…
The accident on 1996-07-17 involved a Piper PA-18, registration N7168K, at Gatesville, NC.
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection which resulted in engine stoppage due to water contamination in the fuel system. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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